About Me
I am a clinical psychologist with expertise at the nexus of substance use and HIV. My translational research program strives to bridge the boundaries that have traditionally divided behavioral and biomedical research to optimize the health of marginalized, underserved populations. I enjoy mentoring individuals at all levels of training.
Using a multi-disciplinary team science approach, my research integrates multimodal neuroimaging, behavioral, biological and clinical methods to develop diagnostic and treatment approaches for improving neurobehavioral functioning among people who use drugs (PWUD) with HIV and/or other chronic diseases.
My current work examines the role of neuroinflammation in the link between substance use and cognitive deficits, as well as longitudinal effects on the structural and functional brain networks. I also have a long-standing interest in risk behaviors among PWUD and the implementation of novel HIV prevention strategies.
For more than 15 years, my NIH-funded projects have investigated social determinants, neurobehavioral effects and biological mechanisms that impact HIV prevention and care for PWUD, as well as interventions to improve mental health, substance use and medical outcomes. The findings underscore the complex effects that substance use can have on brain activation during cognitive tasks and on HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment.